Corpse Flower

The Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton had a rare flower bloom, the Amorphophallus titanum or corpse flower, so of course we went to visit it.  The flower bloomed overnight Sunday and we didn't hear the news until almost lunch time on Monday.  Ethan ended up taking a long nap Monday so we decided to wait and go first thing Tuesday morning.  This was probably the best time to go anyways because we heard the line was long on Monday and the smell was already starting to fade (although we weren't really sure we even wanted to smell it).  Here is some information from the Conservatory's facebook page and also the facts we were told during our visit:

• On the first day the plant is at its most beautiful -- full bloom, open spathe (the modified ribbed leaves around the bottom of the plant) and super stinky.
• On the second day, the spathe can become a bit wilted due to the amount of energy the plant used to heat itself up and open.
• On the third day the spadix (the tall flower stalk), usually wilts, and the spathe may become quite droopy. 
•  The plant has both female and male flowers at the base of its spadex. The bloom is incapable of self-pollinating, however. This is due to timing: the female flowers are fertile only the first day of the bloom, and the male flowers don't release pollen until the second day of the bloom.
• The bulb of the plant is 275 pounds and will take another 10 years to bloom.
• The corpse flower is the tallest flower.
• This flower grew to be 7'9" and grew in only 5 weeks.

The Muttart Conservatory consists of 4 pyramid shaped buildings with each one having a different climate (temperate, arid, tropical, and a feature pyramid).  We quickly looked through the other pyramids before leaving.  The feature pyramid right now is The Cancer Society Show with an abundance of daffodils and it was good to finally see some daffodils this year.